African American College Students 1 The African American Student Experience at Predominantly White Colleges:

Research from higher education and cultural studies that has examined the African American college student experience at predominantly white institutions (PWIs) is presented with a focus on providing an understanding of how African American college students ’ relationships with faculty, family, friends from home, and peers in African American student organizations can become either assets or liabilities to their academic achievement and persistence. Implications for counseling practice are provided to assist secondary school-based counselors in preparing their African American students for the academic and socio-cultural challenges they will face when transitioning to PWIs. Implications are also provided for counselors working in college counseling centers, career counseling centers, and academic advising and retention programs at PWIs to effectively support and retain their African American college students